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Original poster

To ask for help on how to reply to this customer?

522 replies

Squidpinky · 24/02/2017 18:52

I need your help on how to reply to this customer.

I make cakes for living, home based but all on the books. Never had a complaint apart from today....

Quoted a lady for a 21st birthday cake for her daughter. Quite an elaborate design but she was very vague in what she wanted - I.e didn't specify colour etc just sort of said what she wanted and said "make it look pretty"

Her daughter's party is tomorrow, the cake is finished and she asked me to send a picture. I did and she was horrified - said it's not what she wanted, I was going to ruin her daughters birthday, the colour was wrong (even though she hadn't specified a colour. I offered to change details on it, obviously couldn't change the colour. She wanted extras adding to it which would have taken 6 hours atleast to make - that would have meant I made zero profit.

I made some changes to the cake which took me 3 hours and I sent her a pic and she was grateful saying it was much better and Thankyou.

I then get a message saying she wants it delivered now as I caused her so much stress and upset. The venue is an hours drive from my house. The original agreement was she was to pick up the cake. I explained this wasn't possible for me to deliver and she said that she has no free time tomorrow and can't collect it.

How do I respond to this? She's the type that will leave a bad review everywhere and anywhere so I have to tread carefully! Help!!!

OP posts:
MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 25/02/2017 13:17

I don't think you need to be so bald as to suggest she never had any intention of paying op. Otherwise a factual response is best with a picture and people will make up their own minds.

I wouldn't go into detail about the arriving en masse to collect the cake either but I would say the agreed collection time was 12 noon and the customer arrived two hours early.

PageStillNotFound404 · 25/02/2017 13:19

I think EweAreHere has the right approach with her suggested response.

ZippyNeedsFeeding · 25/02/2017 13:24

Here's a positive thought for you. I sell thousands of items a month on eBay and was always really scared of getting a negative. One day, I stood up to a potential scammer and they left the neg. I was very upset and thought my business was finished. Other sellers advised me to stick to my guns and leave a calm, factual reply. They also told me I would probably find I had far fewer scamming attempts for a while, because the feedback would show I didn't just roll over and refund straight away.
They were right. Sales increased after that and I didn't have any dodgy claims for months.
If anyone looking for a freebie looks at your page and sees that you aren't a pushover, they might well just move on and try their luck on someone else.

Jaxhog · 25/02/2017 13:25

What a horrible person she must be. I hope you got a photo of your lovely cake and can post it to the facebook page, along with your version of what happened. Whatever they respond to that, do not then respond further.

Jaxhog · 25/02/2017 13:28

And to echo other replies, don't let this get you down. Having run my own business for nearly 14 years, I know that you can't please all the people all the time. We all get the occasional scammer, and this only has a major impact if we let it. Ignore her - your business will be fine!

EssentialHummus · 25/02/2017 13:29

squid if you're anywhere near London I'd like to order a cake please. This "client" of yours can go to hell.

ComputerUserNumptyTwit · 25/02/2017 13:30

What a dreadful woman Shock

Oh and please, please can we see the cake? Or your Facebook page?

bloodyteenagers · 25/02/2017 13:32

Hi thank you to you and your family/friends for the feedback. You all raise some interesting points both here, and during the conversations from when *Dawn first contacted me with the brief to make a pretty cake.
I always make it a high priority to listen carefully to the customers brief and follow it to the letter, if I disappoint someone I strive to ensure this is corrected. This design was no different and I spent several additional hours making amendments to the pretty cake.
I understand that you *Dawn are disappointed that I couldn't deliver. I am sure that you can appreciate that I cannot change my plans at the last minute and suddenly deliver a collection cake.
Apologies for also not being at the location when you arrived. I will be looking at ways to change my communication systems to ensure that I am always able to check for messages, to ensure that when customers come hours earlier than agreed I or a representative is available.

Hope your DD has a wonderful 21st.
And post pictures of the cake before and after changes. (don't mention which was the original design. This can be added later)

*Fictional name used.

Unless pushed don't upload the initial brief. Only do this if they get arsey that she wanted xx details on it, for the cake to be a specific colour etc. It could be she has let the others belief that she gave you a detailed plan, including specific colours and that you would deliver. Hence they have decided to throw in their feedback.

DoubleR · 25/02/2017 13:38

I was offering to buy cakes and leave a genuine review, as were other posters....

PlectrumElectrum · 25/02/2017 13:40

I'd 'hold fire' on your response just yet. It's a birthday cake for a party? Tonight? Keep an eye out on her FB page, any friends/family attending the party with photos of the cake (scour her likes/friends/family connections- you'll find people attending & photos she herself might have locked down) I'd be surprised to see multiple posts slating the cake, more likely the opposite, especially the recipient (if it's a surprise) Someone attending that party/getting a slice of cake will say something nice about it GrinIf you can get screenshots of anyone from the party commenting positively on the cake, I'd reference those in your response (I'd maybe not post/add them immediately) and if there's any further response I'd add those as 'positive reviews' on the same cake/service she's trying to disparage.

So factual response as someone posted above with an additional comment re party guests/birthday girl praising it, with follow up screen shots if necessary.

tiggytape · 25/02/2017 13:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GirlElephant · 25/02/2017 13:42

Great idea from Bloodyteenagers

Well done on not being intimidated OP! You handled the situation well so far & with class

Shockers · 25/02/2017 14:00

Which area are you based in OP? Not your actual town, obviously, but the region. I'm in the NW and am looking for a cake maker for my DH's 50th. If you're up this end, could you PM me a link to your page so I can see your wares?

SarcasmMode · 25/02/2017 14:07

What's your location OP?

I'd gladly accept your cake decorating skills - any good at 4 year old cakes? Smile

SarcasmMode · 25/02/2017 14:08

For 4 year olds, not 4 year old mouldy cake!

I'd love to see a picture of the cake though.

budgiegirl · 25/02/2017 14:15

What a nightmare! Well done OP for standing your ground.

I'd leave a factual reply to the review, and then let it go. Try to not let it get you down.

I run a home based cake business, and I learnt very early on (the hard way!) to take deposits, and I also ask for full payment three weeks in advance (or at the time of placing the order if less than three weeks). And I always get a signed copy of the order form with details of the decoration, collection etc on.

Even then, I've had a couple of nightmare customers, one left a bad review because she thought my cakes were too expensive! She hadn't even ordered one!

Well the bakery I use has been in business for 40 odd years and never take a deposit or money up front! They seem to do OK

They probably do, but they're hardly going to tell you about the odd difficult customer. Also, IME, customers seem to place less value on a person who does a job from home. They'll happily expect you to do additional work for free, but would never dream of asking the same from a bigger business such as a cake ordered from Waitrose.

dailystuck71 · 25/02/2017 14:18

Glad you were paid in the end OP but she's a bitch for the feedback. Anything we can do to help rectify that?

Glamorousglitter · 25/02/2017 14:26

Horrible woman, glad you got paid. Is there a function on fb where you can delete or review those reviews before they are posted ?

daisychain01 · 25/02/2017 14:26

If people want to do the OP a favour, they will just take a step back and support her on here, rather than getting involved by "rescuing" her on her Facebook profile.

Her product quality if it's any good will speak for itself, and the last thing her business needs is a bunch of fake reviews all posted up in the same day. And of course photos of a custom made cake will be identifying, especially to MrsDodgyCustomer who could turn even nastier. And she may even be a MNer herself!

Ricekrispiesquare · 25/02/2017 14:54

OPsee if you can get in touch with FB and at least have the families reviews removed and only keep hers. I hope you've spent today being very active on FB, engaging with people and posting lots of mouth watering pictures of your cakes!

Floofborksnootandboop · 25/02/2017 15:34

I don't know if this is a feature on all Facebook pages but on mine I have the option to "verify" reviewers, so for example in your situation you could verify the women who you made the cake for review but not the others. Then when people read your reviews they can see you actually only have how ever many legitimate bad reviews and the rest are people who have only left bad reviews to back up a friend.

PollytheDolly · 25/02/2017 15:36

What ewe said. Perfect.

PollytheDolly · 25/02/2017 15:36

Pleeeaaasee can we see the cake?

Rubies12345 · 25/02/2017 15:36

I have a feeling she's not going to pay for it either way. You'll drop it off and that's the last you'll hear of it

bloodyteenagers · 25/02/2017 15:39

Such a shame when people don't bother to read all the thread. Oh well..

Agree with others. Don't go down the route of getting people to add fake feedback. This looks like you have something to hide.